[Minutemen]

No one dies when they mid-air, and having a kilogram or so of minced drone fall on your house is much less of a problem that a fueled up helicopter........

So are you saying these "drones" are only 1/32nd scale balsa wood model airplanes?
I have it that Homeland Security wants to loan LE's the military Predator.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/10/homeland-security-increasingly-loaning-drones-to-l/

[null and void]

I'm saying a civilian, be it an individual or a news agency, is more apt to fly a lightweight few hundred dollar's worth of quadrocopter capable of carrying a small camera than a multimillion dollar Predator drone.

From the linked article it's clear this was not a large military drone.

Drones are much cheaper than news-choppers, carry no crew, have minimal fuel or only batteries aboard and are less of a threat to safety should they bump into each other. Perhaps some day, the FAA will even allow this use.

Although the cynic in me thinks no level of government will ever want civilians watching and documenting their actions...